Man attacks bank Police arrested a middle-aged man who allegedly parked his Mercedes-Benz in the middle of a busy downtown intersection shortly after 4 p.m. yesterday, set it on fire, then sprayed fire extinguishers in the intersection and at people in the main branch of Bank of Hawaii.
with extinguishers
A man sprays people inside the
bank instead of his burning vehicleBy Leila Fujimori
lfujimori@starbulletin.comTwo people were taken to Queen's Medical Center for treatment and released.
Witnesses said they also saw the man spatter blue and red paint on the front entrance of the bank.
A witness said the suspect had protested at King and Bishop streets for months holding a sign that read "Pacific Century Thieves." Bank of Hawaii is a subsidiary of Pacific Century Financial Corp.
"He was dousing (the car) with fluid and lit it on fire. All of a sudden, I saw big flames. The thing was burning good," said Todd Loveless, who was on Bishop Street. "I was concerned because we were nearby and the car might have exploded."
The suspect, who is in his late 40s, got out of the flaming car, went to the trunk of the car and grabbed a backpack and another bag, according to witnesses. The man sprayed a fire extinguisher in the air around but not at the burning car, sprayed a second extinguisher in front of the bank, then ran into the bank and sprayed two more canisters, witnesses said.
One witness said he saw the suspect moving rapidly around in his car, then saw flames inside the car, where the man sat for about three seconds before coming out.
Firefighters arrived shortly after 4:12 p.m. Parts of King and Bishop streets were shut down while scores of people getting off work watched.
Twenty people remained in the building until about 6:30 p.m. while fire officials administered a field test for anthrax on the powdery substance, said Capt. Richard Soo, Honolulu Fire Department spokesman. The three tests were negative.
The man sprayed three people inside the bank with fire extinguishers.
Deanna Hicks, a 22-year-old employee of 24-Hour Fitness, suffered a severe asthmatic reaction from the substance released by the fire extinguisher and smoke inhalation from the burning car, and was taken to Queen's Medical Center.
A male security guard was also taken to Queen's for exposure to the spray. A third person was sprayed but not treated.
Police arrested the man for suspicion of third-degree assault and first-degree criminal property damage, and have begun an arson investigation.
Detective James Anderson said the man never verbally threatened anyone in the bank, but he appeared to be upset with Bank of Hawaii.
Star-Bulletin reporter Rosemarie Bernardo contributed to this report.